ANDY LEIGHT

I recently visited with Andy Leight in his two family home in Tower Grove Heights where he has lived for 12 years on 38 Humphrey. I first met him when we showed together at IN/FORM, a gallery space in the old Lemp Brewery building.


ANDY LEICHT







Leicht works exclusively with oil on canvas, using color to first define the space of the piece he is working on. He does both abstract and figural work.

His use of color is both outrageous and cohesive, promoting conflict and yet, a blended harmony in his work. His ability to push color on canvas is extraordinary and intuitive.

Leicht is presently working on a series of portraits based on black and white obituary photos found in the St. Louis Post. What initially intrigued him was the photo that the family choose for publication. For example, he showed me an elderly woman's obituary but the photo provided was taken when she was decades younger.

Part of the challenge for Leight is to render the two dimensional black and white photographs into color, and paint the portraits as if they were posing for him. He develops a relationship with these photos, bringing mood and tone to the canvas with a profound reverence for the subject.